Free Cloudbound by Fran Wilde

but that was enough. The space between stalls in the marketplace became less crowded very quickly. The young mothers had disappeared with their children.
    Kirit’s life on Grigrit had been thus for many moons, since she moved downtower. This was what I couldn’t see while I was judging her from my council seat.
    â€œSkyshouter,” a tall male blackwing said as we passed.
    â€œThank you, Hart Grigrit, mercy on your wings.” Kirit bowed her head in greeting.
    The guard cleared his throat. “Any more of these disturbances, you and your fledges will be confined to quarters. Towerman’s orders, for the good of Grigrit.”
    She nodded again, gripping Moc’s shoulder even tighter. “I understand.”
    I, however, didn’t comprehend. “They didn’t do anything!” I protested.
    The blackwing shrugged and walked away with his cohort. Not his problem. Stunned, I rolled the incident over in my mind.
    How much worse it would be for Kirit if she didn’t renounce the Singers in council? She surely heard the whispers. Still Kirit moved through the market crowd, unafraid.
    â€œLiras!” she called.
    The wingmaker, famed throughout the northwest quadrant for his skill, had set up a booth at Grigrit market. When he saw Kirit, his face lit up and he stepped around his wares to give her a hug. “You are a sight for cloudy eyes.”
    He bowed to me. “Nat, Councilor, how do you find your wings?”
    â€œThey are excellent,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
    â€œI go where the sales are. Doran has been kind enough to make me a place here.” The stress returned to Liras’s eyes. “How are your mothers?”
    Suspecting Liras knew Ezarit had landed well after Spirefall—everyone did—I guessed he meant Elna.
    But Kirit didn’t realize that. “She’s moved to Varu, to be close to the city center.”
    â€œElna is as well as can be expected,” I added. “Thank you.” Liras tutted over us. I looked at his work. “These are fine wings. You are adding new techniques.”
    Liras smiled. “We’ve learned much from Singers’ wings. And Doran found some old designs and combined them with inventions from his own artifexes. His guards and associates benefited, as you well know. He’s quite an innovator.”
    Kirit made a face, as if to say, Doran? He’s many things. Her grip remained tight on Moc’s shoulder.
    But I could see that if the city needed innovation, Doran would find a way. More than that, he could inspire others to find new ideas, new ways to look towards the future. That’s what the city needed. And new gadgets and tools had been entering the southern markets lately. If Liras said Doran was a source, I wasn’t surprised. “What other innovations?”
    Waving his hand in a circle, Liras said, “Oh, so many things. Wind catchers, better condensers. There’s talk of much more.” Liras encompassed the whole city in a gesture.
    I added items to the list of things I wanted to ask Doran after council. I wanted to get involved, and now that we’d retrieved the codex, perhaps I could. Once he calmed down.
    Liras was alone in the stall. I’d almost left my respect and manners back on the council platform. “How is your family?” His daughter had been a Magister and a wingmaker. She’d flown with Kirit’s group for our wingtest.
    He bowed his head. “A skymouth, during Spirefall. I know you both did your best.”
    â€œCalli?” The horror in Kirit’s voice shook me. She truly didn’t know the city now, didn’t know she shouldn’t shout about its losses. I pictured the crimson banners, the faded flags on towertops: so many.
    But Liras Viit—Liras Grigrit—bowed his head. “Calli’s partner, Vida, and their little girl lived, but Calli is gone. I care for them now, my sons too. The boys are